Abstract: A computer-implemented method of selecting among a plurality of endpoint policy alternatives to apply to a message conveyed over a data communications network is provided. The method can include assigning a score to each of the plurality of endpoint policy alternatives, wherein an assigned score is based upon policy assertions of the endpoint policy alternative to which the score is assigned. The method can further include selecting, according to a predetermined selection criterion, one of the plurality of endpoint policy alternatives based upon the assigned scores.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of selecting among a plurality of endpoint policy alternatives to apply to a message conveyed over a data communications network is provided. The method can include assigning a score to each of the plurality of endpoint policy alternatives, wherein an assigned score is based upon policy assertions of the endpoint policy alternative to which the score is assigned. The method can further include selecting, according to a predetermined selection criterion, one of the plurality of endpoint policy alternatives based upon the assigned scores.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed that enable an application to prioritize its traffic in an application-specific manner, such that traffic which is most important to this application can be prioritized over traffic that is less important to this application, where this prioritization information is reflected in differential treatment of the traffic within the network. An application conveys relative priority information for its traffic to a Web proxy or edge server, and this device then consults stored policy information to determine how the traffic should be prioritized in the network. The Web proxy also ensures that usage of network resources is balanced among multiple applications. Cookies are used for transmitting priority information between the edge server and application in an efficient manner.